Kenya extends deadline for Dadaab camp closure by 6 months

Kenya has extended the deadline for the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp, which houses more than 260,000 Somalis, by six months, the interior minister said Wednesday.

Photo taken on May 8, 2015 shows an overlook of Dadaab refugee camp, Kenya. Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp in northeastern Kenya. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

Joseph Nkaissery told journalists in the capital Nairobi that the volatile security situation in Somalia had made it difficult for Kenya to meet the deadline.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) chief Filippo Grandi had also requested Kenya to give more time for the repatriation of the Somali refugees in Dadaab, citing a delicate situation in Somalia and other factors, Nkaissery said.